Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Staff Directory

Evan S. Michelson

Program Officer

Evan S. Michelson, Ph.D. is a Program Officer, Energy and Science at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Dr. Michelson is responsible for overseeing strategy development and grantmaking in support of original, high-quality research on the economic, technological, and environmental consequences of energy production and consumption. He also manages grantmaking associated with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (IV) focused on advancing understanding of the evolutionary history of the universe as well as providing support for basic research in the natural sciences across a diverse array of disciplines.

Dr. Michelson has experience designing trend monitoring, horizon scanning, and strategic foresight processes in the social sector. Previously, Dr. Michelson was Director at the Markle Foundation, overseeing research activities and the systemic collection, analysis, and dissemination of forward-looking information covering a wide range of technology, economic, and policy issues. Dr. Michelson was also an Associate Director at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he co-created and implemented a global network of horizon scanning organizations and guided the Foundation’s early stage idea generation efforts. Dr. Michelson also served as a Research Associate for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and has worked as a visiting researcher in the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation. He also developed public science and technology outreach and education programs as a Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow at The National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Michelson received his Ph.D. at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. He also received a M.A. in international science and technology policy from The George Washington University, a M.A. in the philosophical foundations of physics from Columbia University, and a B.A. in philosophy of science from Brown University. Dr. Michelson has published a range of articles and book chapters in journals and collections such as Review of Policy Research, International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, Public Administration Review, Science and Public Policy, Development, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Technology in Society, and The Innovation Imperative. Dr. Michelson is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.